IN
CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
We hold
these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness.
What
caused the current economic crisis ?
In
2008- 2009 we suffered the looting of the U.S. economy by major banks and
finance capital. The looting produced our current economic crisis,
crashed the world economy, and caused the massive cutbacks we presently suffer
in schools, in public pensions, in employment of police, fire, the bankrupting
of cities and the cuts to health care and the social safety net.
Did
police, fire fighters, nurses, teachers cause this crisis. No.
Did
pensioners cause this crisis ? No.
Now,
we need to stimulate the economy to end this unnecessary depression. Paul
Krugman says it well in End This Depression Now, (2102).
“Disasters do happen- history is
replete with floods and famines, earthquakes, and tsunamis. What makes
this disaster so terrible-what should make you angry- is that none of this need
be happening. There has been no plague of locusts; we have not lost our
technological know-how; America and Europe should be richer, not poorer, than
they were five years ago.
Nor is the nature of this disaster
mysterious. In the Great Depression leaders had an excuse; nobody really
understood what was happening or how to fix it. Today’s leaders don’t
have that excuse. We have both the knowledge and the tools to end this suffering.”
Krugman.
Government
should get the money for economic stimulation from those who caused the
crisis- the bankers and finance capital through a financial transaction
tax. We should use such a tax rather than giving the banks bail
outs. And, stop scapegoating pensioners, public sector workers and
immigrants.
Why
Choosing Democracy? In 2009 in the book, Choosing Democracy: A
practical guide to multicultural education, I argued,
Our society and our schools are in rapid transition from
the old to the new. New global business and corporations have propelled
our nation into a worldwide market, a place of economic and social
instability. Meanwhile our governmental structures and schools remain
pretty much as they were in the 1950s. The gap between the private, corporate
society—growing, dynamic, unstable, starkly unequal—and the public
institutions—underfunded, criticized, and under attack—grows each day. Yet the
private sector of the society depends on the public sector to provide
roads, schools, fire departments, water and electricity systems
(infrastructure), educated workers, and domestic order.
We in the United States have created one of the most free and democratic
societies in human history, but at great cost to Native Americans, African slaves,
and many immigrant workers. Though far from perfect, we nonetheless offer our
citizens more freedom and self-governance, and a higher standard of living,
than is found in most of the world. At the same time we rank about 37th in the world in health care and life span.
Today we stand in danger of losing our cherished freedom,
democracy, and standard of living to chaotic and uncertain global
conflicts, terrorism, the economic crisis, competition and to domestic
prejudice and intolerance.
Times are changing. In 2010, the U.S. college graduation rate ranked
34th. out of the 34 countries in the OECD survey . In 2010, the U.S. high
school graduation rate ranked 21st. out of the 26 countries in the OECD survey.
OECD is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. ( the
advanced, industrialized countries.)
In 2011, the
average Canadian citizen was wealthier than the average U.S. citizen, and all
residents of Canada have government insured health care.
Taxes and California Schools.
In August of 2012, California
public schools are in crisis- and they are getting worse. This is a direct
result of massive budget cuts imposed by the legislature and the governor in
the last four years. Total per pupil expenditure is down by over $1,000
per student.
